GODSPELL, CLUE, and More Set For Blackfriars 2023/24 Season

Blackfriars Theatre has announced its 2023-2024 Season, commemorating 74 years of locally-produced theatre in downtown Rochester, NY! The 74th Season boasts a powerhouse line-up of entertaining and engaging stories, transporting audiences from pristine 18th century estates of French artistocrats to the seedy underground nightclubs of 1930s Germany. The team at Blackfriars, led by Artistic Director Brynn Tyszka and Executive Director Mary Tiballi Hoffman, have lovingly assembled a season that is tailor made to delight loyal audiences and attract new ones.

"This season truly kicks off what Blackfriars will look like under our leadership, with a subscription series packed with strong titles that even theatre-newcomers will recognize, the launch of a brand-new concert series to further diversify programming for both our artists and our audiences, and the addition of new accessibility initiatives designed to include and elevate historically-underrepresented communities," says Hoffman. "After two seasons of somewhat tentative theatre-making - building back organizational capacity and figuring out how to operate in this 'new normal' - this 2023-2024 Season really feels like we're fully back in the saddle, ready to be bold, brave and loud again with our theatre-making."

Since reopening in Fall 2021, the theatre has undergone some major transitions as it builds back up to full steam, most notably with the departure of former Artistic & Managing Director, Danny Hoskins, in July 2022. The Board of Directors has since restructured the staff model, moving to a dual leadership model for the first time in the theatre's 70+ year history. In August 2022, Brynn Tyszka joined the company as Artistic Director and Mary Tiballi Hoffman was promoted from Development Director to Executive Director. They are the first women to hold executive-level positions at Blackfriars.

Since their installment, the 2022-2023 Season has represented a time of focused rebuilding - the duo have more than doubled audience attendance over last season, have engaged new community partners (including Borinquen Dance Theatre, Jane Austen Society of North America - Rochester, Country Dancers of Rochester, The Little Theatre, The Bronze Collective, The Trevor Project, The Community Foundation, and more), and have packed the calendar with the launch of new programming (including adding a full production of Tick Tick... Boom! to the calendar, launching monthly Body Positivity Dance Parties) and the return of pre-pandemic favorites (including The Hourglass Play Reading Series, The Conservatory at BT, and Imagination Station with Mrs. Kasha Davis events).

The 2023-2024 Season includes a slapstick comedy based on a cult-classic 1985 film (based on a board game), a charming and witty companion piece to last holiday season's hit romantic comedy, a sexy and daring twist on an 18th century classic, a new sibling drama dealing with gentrification and untangling family history, an intimate musical about healing and letting go, and an iconic Broadway musical that examines the dangers of apathy as society rapidly unravels.

Also coming to the theatre in year ahead? The BT Concert Series, a line-up of four diverse concert performances that put the talents of local artists center stage. The theatre will also host ASL interpreters on the first Saturday performance for each of its six subscription series shows, launch a military discount on single tickets for '23-'24 performances, and launch BT's Pipeline Apprenticeship Program, which pairs emerging BIPOC theatre artists with seasoned professional counterparts throughout the season for paid hands-on training experiences.

The duo is grateful for each success the local, nonprofit theatre has come to know, and for the opportunity to kick off this new season of theatre-making at Blackfriars with renewed vigor. Tyszka notes, "This company has been a beloved artistic home for Rochester's finest performers, designers, directors and technicians for 74 years. Now, as we look forward to the 23-24 Season and our upcoming 75th anniversary, we are ready and working to make Blackfriars Theatre a household name."

GODSPELL

The Blackfriars Theatre Summer Intensive - a training program for the next generation of artists

Music by Stephen Schwartz, Book by John-Michael Tebelak

July 28 - August 6, 2023

From the musical genius behind the Broadway blockbusters Wicked and Pippin comes this exuberant take on the Gospel According to Matthew. Godspell is a timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love that grapples with the eternal question: how can spirituality survive in a stubbornly material world?

CLUE

by Sandy Rustin, adapted from the Paramount Pictures film written by Jonathan Lynn

September 8 - 24, 2023

It's a dark and stormy night, and you've been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well . . . dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they race to find the murderer in Boddy Manor before the body count stacks up. Based on the cult classic film and the popular board game, Clue is a madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist.

Sponsored by: LaBella Associates and Salena's Mexican Restaurant

JOHN & JEN

Music by Andrew Lippa, Lyrics by Tom Greenwald, Book by Andrew Lippa & Tom Greenwald

October 26 - November 5, 2023

Set against the background of a changing America between 1950 and 1990, John & Jen tells the story of Jen and her relationships with the two Johns in her life: her younger brother, and his namesake, her son. John & Jen is an intimate story about connections, commitments and the healing of the human heart.

In Partnership with: Veteran's Outreach Center

Blackfriars will host a special free performance on November 1st for military families.

THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon

December 8 - 30, 2023

Continuing Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice, the below stairs servants at the grand Pemberley estate find themselves in the midst of a holiday scandal. An unwelcome visitor has stumbled into the hall in the middle of the night-Mr. Darcy's nemesis and Lydia's incorrigible husband, Mr. Wickham! A trio of savvy servants must each balance their holiday preparations with keeping Wickham confined. But before long, everything reaches a boiling point, festivities spiral into chaos, and the truth finally comes to light! An utterly delightful holiday tale.

In Partnership with: Writers & Books

LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES

by Christopher Hampton, adapted from the 1782 novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

January 26 - February 11, 2024

The Marquise de Merteuil and the Le Vicomte de Valmont are former lovers who still share an appetite for seduction. Embroiled in a game of revenge and manipulation, Merteuil goads Valmont into corrupting the virtuous - and betrothed - Cecile de Volanges. But Valmont has his eye on another prize: honorable Madame de Tourvel. A tale of seduction set in France among aristocrats before the revolution, this is a classic drama exploring decadent sexuality, morals, and manipulation played as the ultimate game, with tragic results.

In Partnership with: The Little Theatre

DREAM HOU$E

by Eliana Pipes

March 22 - April 7, 2024

Two Latinx sisters prepare to sell their home on a reality TV show, hoping to capitalize on neighborhood gentrification. But once the cameras are rolling, the family's turbulent past and uncertain future begin to collide, and the sisters are forced to reckon with the secrets held between the house's walls.

In Partnership with: Rochester Latino Theatre Company

CABARET

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joe Masteroff

May 10 -26, 2024

The year is 1929, as Hitler begins his march to power. Cliff, a young American novelist travels to Berlin in search of artistic inspiration - but what he finds is a world of desire and decadence, jealousy and betrayal in a time when the rules of survival are quickly shifting. He falls in love with Sally Bowles, the sexy chanteuse of the Kit Kat Club, where Berlin misfits gather for a drink, a laugh, a song - as the storm clouds of war gather outside.

2023-2024 Season Subscriptions are on sale now. Blackfriars offers five affordable and flexible subscription options, ranging from $99 to $192. Every option offers our subscribers more savings than if they were to purchase single tickets. Full Season Subscriptions (regular and senior discounted) include all six season shows and range from $141 to $192 with exclusive benefits. Full Season Subscriptions are the only subscriptions that guarantee choice of show date and seating at time of purchase. They also include ticket insurance, which allows you free exchanges and the ability to redeem unused tickets. Flex Pass Subscriptions give you added flexibility - three or four show Flex Passes ($99 or $130) allow you to pick and choose your titles from the six-show season. All subscribers enjoy exclusive discounts on any additional single ticket purchases, including admission to the BT Concert Series and summer productions. For more information on subscribing to the 2023-2024 Season, please visit: www.blackfriars.org. If you have any questions about becoming a subscriber, please don't hesitate to contact the Box Office at (585)454-1260 - open Monday-Friday, 12pm - 4pm, and one hour prior to show time. Single tickets for the 2023-2024 productions and BT Concert Series go on sale on July 1, 2023.